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BIBLE  SKETCHES 


CREATION  AND  THE  FALL, 


RICHMOND: 

PUBLISHED  BY  E.  THOMPSON  BATED, 

SECRETARY  OF  PUBLICATION, 

No.  1011  Main  Stkeet. 
1871. 


3 


SKETCHES 

FROM 

THE    BIBLE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Creation  of  the  World* 

My  dear  children,  you  live  in  a 
pleasant  world.  How  happy  it  makes 
you  to  walk  out  in  the  fields,  and  to 
look  at  all  the  beautiful  things  that 
God  has  made  and  given  to  you. 
There  is  the  glorious  sun  which  sheds 
such  a  blaze  of  light  that  your  eyes 
can  hardly  bear  to  look  at  it.  Have 
you  never  seen  it  when  it  rises  in  the 
morning,  and  shines  upon  the  steeple 
and    the    windows,  and   makes    the 


4  SKETCHES  FROM 

drops  of  dew  on  the  grass  to  glittei 
like  the  diamond  in  a  lady's  ring* 
Do  you  not  love  to  look  upon  it  when 
it  sets  in  the  evening,  with  purple,  and 
red,  and  golden  clouds  all  around  it? 
If  it  were  not  for  the  sun  it  would  be 
always  dark,  and  we  could  not  read 
or  work  without  a  candle.  And  if  we 
were  to  walk  out,  we  could  not  see  the 
colour  of  the  grass,  or  flowers,  or 
houses,  or  trees;  every  thing  would 
look  black.  How  thankful  you  should 
be  to  God,  who  has  made  the  sun  to 
give  us  light ! 

Then  there  is  the  moon,  that  rises 
in  the  evening,  and  sends  such  a  plea- 
sant, soft  light  into  your  chamber  win- 
dows. And  the  many,  many  stars, 
that  twinkle,  every  clear  night,  all 
over  the  heavens.  Do  you  not  thank 
God  for  making  the  bright  moon,  and 
the  beautiful  stars? 


THE  BIBLE. 


Sometimes  your  parents,  or  yom 
elder  brothers  or  sisters,  take  you  into 
the  orchards  and  groves,  where  you 
can  gather  fruit  and  flowers,  and  hear 
the  birds  sing,  and  see  the  little  fishes 
swimming  about  in  the  clear  rivulets. 
Do  you  know  who  made  all  these 
things,  which  it  makes  you  so  happy 
to  see  and  hear?  Yes,  you  know,  for 
your  parents  have  told  you,  that  God 
made  them.  Do  you  wish  to  learn  how 
he  made  them?  I  will  try  to  tell  you 
out  of  the  Bible.  Six  thousand  years 
ago, — I  do  not  know  but  these  are 
more  years  than  some  of  you  can 
count,  but  it  was  a  very  great  while 
ago,- — the  great  God  who  lives  in 
heaven  above,  began  to  make  this 
world.  And  he  made  it  in  six  days. 
This  world  is  sometimes  called  the 
earth.  It  was  not  difficult  for  God  to 
create  the  earth.  It  was  very  easv 
a  2 


O  SKETCHES  FROM 

He  couid  have  created  it  in  a  moment. 
But  he  chose  that  it  should  be  six 
days  before  it  was  finished,  and  he 
rested  on  the  seventh  day.  I  will  tell 
you  presently  why  he  rested  on  the 
seventh  day. 

In  the  place  where  God  chose  to 
make  the  world,  it  was  very  dark  and 
gloomy.  There  was  no  land  to  tread 
upon,  and  no  clear  sky.  And  God 
said,  Let  there  be  light,  and  the  light 
instantly  began  to  shine.  And  he 
divided  the  light  from  the  darkness, 
and  when  the  light  shined,  he  called 
it  day,  and  when  the  darkness  came,  he 
called  it  night.  This  was  the  first  day. 

The  next  day,  God  made  Hie  air 
which  is  all  around  the  earth.  Do 
you  know  what  the  air  is?  You  can- 
not see  it,  but  every  time  you  breathe, 
you  draw  it  into  your  nostrils,  and  it 
goes    nto  your  body  and  keeps  you 


THE  BIBLE.  7 

alive.  And  sometimes  you  can  feel  it 
blow  upon  your  cheek.  When  you 
see  the  leaves  on  the  trees  move,  it  is 
the  air  that  shakes  the  leaves.  Do 
you  remember,  when  it  was  winter, 
now  you  drew  your  chairs  close  to 
the  fire,  and  heard  the  wind  whistle, 
as  it  blew  around  the  house  and 
through  the  trees?  That  was  the  air 
that  you  heard,  for  the  wind  is  only 
the  air  moving  very  fast.  The  air 
helps  the  plants  to  grow.  How  good 
God  was  to  make  the  air,  that  men 
and  animals  might  breathe,  and  that 
the  grass,  and  trees,  and  flowers, 
might  grow  up  all  over  the  earth. 

The  third  day,  the  earth  was  all 
covered  with  the  waters.  And  God 
commanded  the  waters  to  flow  away 
from  the  high  places  on  the  earth,  and 
to  run  into  the  deep  places  which  he 
had   made  for  them.     And  the  high 


8  SKETCHES  FROM 

places  were  left  dry  and  hard,  and 
were  called  land,  and  the  waters  were 
called  seas  and  rivers.  Now  theie 
was  nothing  to  be  seen  on  the  land, 
but  the  brown  earth,  with  the  rocks 
and  stones  scattered  about  upon  it. 
And  God  commanded  the  grass  and 
trees  to  grow,  and  the  earth  was,  in 
an  instant,  covered  with  a  beautifu 
green  carpet  of  grass,  and  the  tall 
trees  grew  up  in  thick  groves  upon  the 
hills,  and  the  fruit  trees  were  loaded 
with  fruit  in  the  valleys,  and  the 
sweet  flowers  opened  their  tender 
blossoms. 

On  the  fourth  day,  God  said,  Let 
there  be  lights  in  the  heavens  to  divide 
the  day  from  the  night,  so  that  we  may 
count  the  days,  and  the  seasons,  and 
the  years.  So  God  made  two  great 
lights;  the  greater  light,  which  was 
the  sun,  to   shine   by  day;   and  tlu 


THE  BIBLE.  [) 

lesser  light,  which  was  the  moon,  to 
shine  by  night.  He  made  the  stars 
also,  and  set  them  in  their  places  in 
the  heavens.  And  now  the  fourth  day 
ended,  and  the  world  was  finished. 
You  may  think  how  fresh  and  beauti- 
ful it  was.  But  though  it  was  so  beau- 
tiful,  it  was  very  still;  for  there  were 
no  living  creatures  upon  it.  There 
were  no  birds  to  sing  in  the  branches 
of  the  thick  woods.  There  were  no 
fishes  to  play  in  the  waters.  There 
were  no  cattle  to  eat  grass  in  the  mea- 
dows. God  saw  the  earth  when  it  was 
made,  and  said  that  it  was  good;  but 
there  were  no  men  and  women  to  see 
and  admire  it,  and  praise  God  for  his 
great  works.  The  sun  went  down 
that  night  on  a  silent  world. 

On  the  fifth  day,  God  began  to  cre- 
ate animals.  He  spoke,  and  the  fishes 
and  fowls  lived      Then,  all  at  once. 


10  SKETCHES  FROM 

the  waters  were  covered  with  fowls  of 
every  kind,  which  sprang  out  of  the 
waters,  and  flew  away  into  the  air 
There  was  the  noble  eagle,  which  is 
called  the  king  of  birds,  because  he  is 
larger  and  stronger  than  most  birds, 
and  he  can  fly  higher  than  any  other 
bird.  If  you  had  been  there,  you 
would  have  seen  him  rising  out  of  the 
water,  and  flying  up  towards  the  sun, 
which  he  loves  very  much  to  look 
upon.  And  the  pretty  peacock  alight- 
ed upon  the  grass,  and  shook  the 
drops  of  water  from  his  bright  fea- 
thers, that  are  covered  all  over  with 
spots  like  stars.  The  little  birds  flew 
into  the  woods,  and  began  to  build 
their  nests  among  the  leaves  of  the 
trees.  And  while  they  were  at  work 
they  sung  for  joy.  And  there  were  a 
great  many  others  that  I  have  not 
time  to  tell  you  about.    , 


THE  BIBLE.  11 

Bat  we  must  not  forget  the  fishes 
that  had  just  begun  to  move  about  in 
the  waters.  The  sea  was  almost  filled 
with  them.  Some  of  them  have  fins 
that  *  help  them  to  swim  very  fast. 
Some  of  them  are  covered  with  a  thin 
coat  of  shell.  These  creep  about  on 
the  sand,  or  hide  in  the  rocks  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.  Some  of  them  lie 
quite  still  in  their  shell  houses.  Others 
have  wings,  and  can  fly  a  little  way  in 
the  air;  and  others  live  in  a  boat  of 
shell,  and  when  they  choose  they  can 
rise  to  the  top  of  the  water,  and  put 
up  a  little  sail  that  grows  upon  their 
bodies,  and  the  wind  blows  them 
along,  just  as  it  does  ships.  This  is 
all  that  was  done  on  the  fifth  day. 

The  sixth  and  last  day  was  nowT 
come.  And  God  commanded  the 
earth  to  bring  forth  all  the  animals 
that  walk  or  creep  upon  the  earth. 


12  SKETCHES  FROM 

And  as  soon  as  God  had  spoken, 
beasts  of  every  kind  came  up  out  of 
the  ground.  Oh !  how  many  of  them 
there  were.  We  cannot  think  of  them 
all  at  once,  there  were  so  many.  The 
great  elephant  was  there,  and  the  cun- 
ning fox,  and  the  generous  horse,  and 
the  faithful  dog,  and  the  timid  sheep. 
And  all  sorts  of  beasts,  and  serpents, 
and  insects,  were  there.  They  were 
very  different  from  each  other.  Some 
of  them  could  run  very  swiftly.  Others 
were  very  strong  and  large.  Some  of 
them  had  teeth  and  claws  which  were 
very  sharp.  Some  of  them  knew  a 
great  many  things,  and  others  were 
very  ignorant  and  stupid.  Some  of 
them  chose  to  live  alone,  and  they 
went  away  into  the  mountains,  and 
caves,  and  lone^  places.  Others,  like 
the  cattle  and  sheep,  were   fond  of 


THE  BiBLE.  13 

company    and  they  went  about  to- 
gether, in  flocks  and  herds. 

And  now  all  the  beasts,  and  birds, 
and  fishes,  were  created,  and  had  be- 
gun to  find  out  their  places  to  live  in, 
and  to  enjoy  themselves  in  the  way 
they  liked  best.  Can  you  think  of 
any  thing  else  that  was  wanting  to 
make  this  world  complete?  Yes,  there 
was  something  wanting.  God  had 
made  a  great  many  curious  animals, 
but  not  one  among  them  knew  that 
God  made  him,  or  could  understand 
any  thing  about  God.  And  if  they 
could  not  understand  any  thing  about 
God,  they  could  not  love  and  obey 
him.  They  could  not  pray  to  him. 
They  could  not  thank  him  for  his 
goodness  in  making  them  so  happy. 
A  dog  knows  more  than  other  ani- 
mals. You  can  teach  your  dog  many 
things.     You  can  teach  him  to  love 


14  SKETCHES  FROM 

you,  and  follow  you  about,  and  to 
thank  you  when  you  give  him  food. 
You  can  teach  him  to  find  your  hand- 
kerchief, if  you  have  lost  it.  You 
can  teach  him  to  watch  by  your  house 
at  night,  and  keep  away  the  thieves 
who  wish  to  come  in  and  steal.  He 
will  be  very  sorry  when  you  are  sick ; 
or  when  you  have  fallen  down,  and 
hurt  yourself.  But  you  cannot  teach 
him  that  God  made  him.  Oh  no! 
If  you  were  to  tell  him  this,  he  would 
not  understand  you.  You  love  your 
dog  for  being  so  grateful  and  obe- 
dient; and  you  do  not  blame  him  for 
not  thinking  about  God,  because  you 
know  he  cannot  understand  such 
things. 

So  Go^  determined  to  create  a  man 
and  woman;  and  to  give  them  reason, 
that  they  might  know  something  about 
God,  and  love  him,  and  obey  him. 


THE  BIBLE.  ll 

And  God  made  Adam  and  Eve,  and 
placed  them  in  the  garden  of  Eden. 
It  was  a  very  fine  garden,  which  God 
had  made  on  purpose  for  them  to  live 
in.  And  God  told  Adam  and  Eve, 
that  they  might  rule  over  all  the  ani 
mals ;  and  he  said  that  all  the  animals 
must  obey  Adam  and  Eve.  And  God 
made  all  the  beasts,  and  fowls,  and 
every  living  creature,  to  go  to  Adam; 
and  Adam  gave  them  names;  and 
they  were  afterwards  called  by  the 
names  which  Adam  had  given  them. 


16  SKETCHES  FROM 

CHAPTER  II. 

More  about  Adam  and  Eve. 

Now,  my  dear  children,  I  wish  to 
talk  to  you  a  little  more  about  Adam 
and  Eve;  but  I  am  afraid  you  will 
not  understand  me,  unless  you  are 
very  attentive;  because  what  I  am 
going  to  say,  is  more  difficult  than 
most  that  I  have  been  telling  you. 
But  I  will  try  to  find  out  the  easiest 
words ;  and  I  hope  if  you  attend  to 
every  word  that  I  say,  and  do  not 
think  about  any  thing  else  till  I  have 
done,  you  will  know  what  I  mean. 

God  said  that  he  would  make  man 
in  his  own  image,  which  meant  that 
he  would  make  him  something  like 
himself.  Now  you  know  if  you  were 
to  draw  a  picture  of  a  tree,  it  would 


THE  BIBLE.  17 

be  a  very  different  thing  from  the  tree 
itself,  yet  it  would  be  something  like 
it.  So  Adam,  who  was  only  a  man, 
was  very  different  from  the  great  God: 
yet  in  some  things  he  was  like  him. 

God  knows  every  thing;  and  God 
gave  Adam  reason,  which  helped  him 
to  know  something  about  God,  and 
something  about  his  duty  to  God,  and 
something  about  what  it  was  right  or 
wrong  for  him  to  do.  So  God  made 
Adam  after  his  own  image. 

There  was  another  thing  in  which 
God  made  Adam  after  his  own  image. 
He  made  him  holy.  You  know  what 
it  is  to  be  holy.  To  be  holy,  is  to  be 
good.  To  be  holy  is  always  to  feel 
right,  and  always  to  act  right.  God 
is  perfectly  holy;  and  God  made 
Adam  holy,  so  that  he  might  always 
love  to  do  right,  and  please  God 
b2 


IS  SKETCHES  FROM 

God  made  Adam  after  his  own  image, 
because  he  made  him  holy. 

There  was  another  thing  in  which 
God  made  Adam  after  his  own  image. 
He  made  Adam's  soul  immortal :  that 
is,  he  made  it  to  live  for  ever.  God 
will  always  continue  to  live.  So  he 
made  Adam  immortal ;  for  he  gave 
him  a  soul  that  will  never  die.  If 
Adam  had  never  disobeyed  God,  his 
body  would  never  have  died.  But 
though  he  did  disobey  God,  and 
though  God  punished  him,  and  his 
body  died,  yet  his  soul  will  never  die. 
It  will  live  for  ever  and  ever.  God 
made  Adam  after  his  own  image,  be- 
cause he  made  him  immortal. 

The  seventh  day  was  now  come, 
and  it  was  the  first  Sabbath.  The 
work  of  Creation  was  finished,  and 
God  rested  from  his  work  on  the 
seventh  day.     We  do  not  know  how 


THE  BIBLE.  19 

this  Sabbath  was  kept  m  heaven ;  for 
God  does  not  tell  us  in  the  Bible.  But 
I  suppose  that  the  angels  praised 
God  for  making  this  world,  and  for 
creating  Adam  and  Eve.  And  I  sup- 
pose that  Adam  and  Eve  kept  this 
Sabbath,  by  thanking  God  for  his 
goodness  to  them,  and  by  resting 
from  their  work,  and  by  trying  to 
learn  all  that  they  could  about  God, 
and  about  their  duty  to  him.  God 
meant  that  the  Sabbath  should  be 
kept  by  Adam  and  Eve,  and  by  all 
their  children.  He  meant  that  it 
should  be  kept  by  all  the  men,  and 
women,  and  children,  who  should  ever 
live  in  this  world.  And  he  showed 
them  how  to  keep  it;  for  he  rested 
from  his  work  on  the  seventh  day. 
\nd,  many  years  after,  he  said  in  the 
fourth  commandment,  remember  the 

3ABBATH  DAY  TO  KEEP  IT  HOLY. 


20  SKETCHES  FROM 

My  dear  children,  let  me  ask  you 
a  plain  question.  Do  you  remenibei 
the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy  ?  1 
will  tell  you  what  it  is  to  keep  the 
Sabbath  holy.  You  must  not  do  any 
work — you  must  not  play  about  the 
house,  or  in  the  fields — you  must  not 
think  about  your  playthings,  and  talk 
about  them,  and  wish  the  Sabbath 
was  over.  When  you  rise  in  the  morn- 
ing, you  must  pray  to  God  that  he 
would  help  you  to  keep  holy  the  Sab- 
bath day.  And  you  must  ask  your 
father  and  mother  to  talk  to  you  about 
God,  and  tell  you  what  you  can  do  to 
please  him.  And  when  you  are  at  the 
Sunday-school  you  must  listen  to 
every  word  that  your  teacher  says, 
and  try  to  remember  it.  And  when 
the  minister  prays  at  church,  you  must 
try  to  understand  him,  and  pray  with 
him  in  your  heart.  And  if  you  see  an) 


THE  BIBLE.  21 

wicked  children  playing  on  the  Sab- 
bath, you  must  tell  them  that  God 
sees  them,  and   that  God  has  said, 

REMEMBER  THE  SABBATH  DAY  TO  KEEP 
FT  HOLY. 


22  SKETCHES  FROM 

CHAPTER  III 

What  have  you  learned  i 

Dear  children,  I  have  finished  aL 
that  I  had  to  tell  you  about  the  crea- 
tion of  the  world.  And  now  let  us 
think  of  it  a  little.  It  does  not  do  you 
any  good,  to  read  the  history  of  what 
God  has  done,  unless  you  think  about 
it,  and  try  to  learn  something  from  it. 
I  will  tell  you  some  of  the  things  you 
ought  to  learn  from  this  story  of  the 
creation  of  the  world. 

One  thing  that  you  cannot  help 
learning  is,  that  God  is  very  great 
and  powerful.  To  be  powerful,  is  to 
be  able  to  do  a  great  many  things.  If 
God  had  not  been  very  powerful,  he 
could  not  have  made  this  world.  Do 
you  know  any  one  who  could  make 


THE  BIBLE  23 

such  a  world  as  this  ?  Do  you  know 
any  one  who  could  make  any  of  the 
living  creatures  that  walk  on  the 
earth  ;  or  any  of  the  plants  that  grow 
out  of  it  ?  Think  of  the  rose.  When 
you  look  at  it  in  the  morning,  and  it 
has  just  blown,  how  beautiful  it  is. 
The  drops  of  dew  are  upon  it.  Its 
leaves  are  softer  than  silk  or  velvet. 
It  hangs  its  head,  and  blushes.  Its 
fragrance  makes  the  air  sweet  all 
around  it.  Could  your  father  or  mo- 
ther make  the  rose  ?  Oh  no  !  Nobody 
but  God  could  make  the  rose. 

Think  of  the  rainbow,  when  the 
shower  is  almost  over,  and  the  sun 
begins  to  shine — you  have  seen  it, 
looking  like  a  broad  ribbon  with  rich 
stripes,  painted  on  the  clouds  which 
are  opposite  the  sun.  Men  could  not 
make  the  rainbow.     An  an^el  could 


24  SKETCHES  FROM 

not  make  it.     Nobody  but  God  could 
make  the  rainbow. 

Think  of  the  elephant.  He  is  so 
large,  that  perhaps  he  could  not  stand 
up  in  the  room  where  you  are  sitting. 
He  is  so  strong,  that  he  can  tear  up 
trees  by  their  roots,  and  pull  down 
houses,  and  trample  cattle  and  horses 
under  his  feet.  When  he  is  angry, 
he  is  terrible  to  all  other  animals ;  for 
with  his  long  trunk  and  sharp  tusks, 
he  can  throw  many  of  them  into  the 
air,  or  tear  them  in  pieces.  Yet  he 
is  very  kind  and  affectionate  to  his 
master,  and  will  do  as  he  is  bid. 
You  must  not  try  to  deceive  or  hurt 
him ;  for  if  you  do,  he  will  find  it 
out,  and  punish  you.  If  you  are  kind 
to  him,  he  will  remember  it,  and  love 
vou. — Could  any  one  but.  God  have 
made   the    elephant— so    Jirge    ani 


THE  BIBLE.  25 

strong,  and  taught  him  to  know  so 
many  things  ?     Oh  no ! 

How  great  is  God,  who  has  made 
this  world,  and  all  the  wonderful 
creatures  that  live  in  it.  You  should 
reverence  so  great  a  God,  and  fear  to 
offend  him. 

You  learn  from  this  story  of  the 
creation,  that  God  is  very  good.  He 
could  have  made  the  world  dark  and 
unpleasant ;  but  he  chose  to  make  it 
light  and  convenient.  He  could  have 
made  our  eyes  so  that  we  could  not 
see  any  bright  colours.  He  could 
have  made  our  palates  so  that  we 
could  not  taste;  or  he  could  have 
given  us  only  such  fruits  and  vegeta- 
bles, as  would  be  very  disagreeable 
to  our  taste.  He  could  have  made 
our  ears  so  that  we  could  not  hear 
any  sweet  sounds.  But  he  chose  to 
make  every  tiling  pleasant  around  us ; 


26  SKETCHES  FROM 

and  he  has  so  made  us,  that  we  can 
enjoy  all  these  pleasant  things.  \\\ 
the  living  creatures  that  God  has 
made,  seem  to  be  happy.  Even  the 
little  insects  that  are  darting  about  in 
the  sunbeams,  show  much  joy  in  all 
their  motions.  This  shows  that  God 
is  very  good.  If  God  is  so  good,  you 
ought  all  of  you  to  love  him. 

I  have  only  one  thing  more  to  say. 
You  may  learn  from  this  story  of  the 
creation,  that  every  thing  in  this 
world  belongs  to  God.  The  house 
you  live  in,  belongs  to  your  father. 
Perhaps  he  did  not  build  it  himself; 
perhaps  he  only  paid  money  to  some 
men,  who  built  it  for  him.  Yet  it  be- 
longs to  him ;  and  all  the  furniture 
that  is  in  it,  belongs  to  him,  and  no- 
body can  take  it  away  from  him. 
God  made  this  world,  and  every  thing 
in  it,  and  it  all  belongs  to  God.    And 


THE  BIBLE.  2? 

jf  every  thing  in  this  world  belongs 
to  God,  then  the  people  that  God 
made,  ought  to  do  what  God  com- 
mands them  to  do.  But  has  God  ever 
told  us  what  we  must  do  ?  Yes,  he 
has  told  us  in  the  Bible.  If  you  read 
the  Bible,  you  will  find  what  God 
commands  you  to  do.  And  you  will 
find  that  he  will  reward  you,  if  you 
obey  him ;  and  punish  you,  if  you 
disobey  him.  It  is  right  for  God  to 
do  this ;  for  he  made  you,  and  gave 
you  every  thing  you  have,  and  you 
belong  to  him.  If  you  belong  to  God 
you  ought  to  obey  him. 


JC  SKETCHES  FROM 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Story  of  Adam  and  Eve,  continued* 

When  God  had  made  Adam  and 
Eve,  he  put  them  into  the  garden  oi 
Eden,  and  told  them  that  they  might 
live  in  it,  and  that  they  must  take 
care  of  the  garden.  I  suppose  you 
would  like  to  know  in  what  part  of 
the  world  Adam  and  Eve  lived.  They 
lived  in  Asia ;  which  is  many  miles 
eastward  of  America,  where  we  all 
are.  Some  of  your  friends  will  show 
you,  on  the  map  of  the  world,  the 
place  where  the  garden  of  Eden  was. 
And  when  we  are  talking  about  the 
garden  of  Eden,  you  need  not  think 
of  your  father's  garden,  with  narrow 
beds,  and  straight  alleys  between 
them,   and   rows  of  flowers  on  the 


THE  BIBLE.  29 

borders,  and  vegetables  beyond,  and 
a  grape-house  at  the  end  of  one  of 
the  walks,  and  a  pointed  fence  all 
around  the  whole :  the  garden  oi 
Eden,  which  is  called  Paradise,  was 
very  different  from  this.  The  Bible 
says,  that  God  planted  in  it  every 
tree  which  is  pleasant  to  the  eye,  and 
good  for  food ;  and  so,  I  suppose,  it 
must  have  been  very  large.  And  J 
suppose  it  had,  all  around  it,  moun- 
tains and  high  hills,  which  were 
covered  with  thick  woods.  And  there 
was  an  opening  in  the  mountains, 
where  a  beautiful  river  came  into 
the  garden,  and  went  winding  along 
among  the  meadows  and  groves,  till 
it  came  to  the  other  side  of  the  gar- 
den,  where  it  flowed  out  between 
another  opening  in  the  mountains. 
This  river  was  so  smooth,  that  when 
Adam  and  Eve  looked  into  it,  they  saw 
c2 


30  SKETCHES  FROM 

the  willows  that  hung  their  branches 
over  the  river,  and  the  clear  blue  sky 

In  some  parts  of  the  garden,  were 
beautiful  groves  of  orange  and  lemon 
trees.  And  all  kinds  of  fruit  trees 
grew  in  the  orchards,  and  their 
branches  were  loaded  with  fruit  and 
blossoms.  The  finest  flowers  were 
springing  up  in  every  part  of  the  gar- 
den. And  many  birds  were  singing 
very  sweetly,  in  the  pleasant  groves 
where  Adam  and  Eve  used  to  walk. 
Flocks  of  sheep  were  eating  grass  in 
the  meadows,  or  drinking  the  cool 
water  out  of  the  little  brooks.  And 
at  noon  you  might  see  the  cattle 
lying  down  to  rest,  under  the  tall  trees 
that  were  scattered  about  the  fields. 

Among  all  the  animals  that  were 
in  Paradise,  there  was  not  one  that 
wished  to  hurt  any  of  the  others. 
The    lion    walked    quietly    around. 


THE  BIBLE.  31 

among  the  sheep  and  cows.  The 
deer  and  tiger  were  jumping  about 
together,  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
The  little  mouse  was  not  afraid  to 
lay  her  head  upon  the  paw  of  the  cat, 
and  go  to  sleep. 

Adam  was  not  obliged  to  dig  in  the 
ground,  and  plant  seeds ;  for  God 
made  the  finest  fruits  and  flowers  to 
grow  up  of  themselves.  And  he  was 
not  obliged  to  work  hard,  and  build 
himself  a  house ;  for  the  air  of  Para- 
dise was  so  mild  and  soft,  that  a 
house  was  not  necessary.  But  I  sup- 
pose Adam  and  Eve  had  a  bower, 
where  they  could  sleep,  and  sit  when 
they  chose.  It  was  made  of  trees 
which  grew  near  each  other,  and 
twined  their  branches  and  glossy 
\eaves  together.  And  perhaps  roses 
and  jessamines,  and  honeysuckles, 
ind  many  other  beautiful  plants,  grew 


32  SKETCHES  FROM 

up  by  the  side  of  it,  and  spread  them 
selves  all  over  it,  making  the  roof  so 
thick,  that  the  rain  could  not  come 
through.  And  the  floor  and  seats 
were  of  grass,  sprinkled  ail  over  with 
violets. 

Now  perhaps  some  of  you  are  say 
ing  how  happy  Adam  and  Eve  musi 
have  been!  Yes,  they  wrere  very 
happy.  They  had  many  more  things 
to  make  them  happy,  beside  this  plea- 
sant garden.  God  had  made  them 
very  good.  They  were  not  wicked 
at  all.  They  were  not  proud.  They 
were  never  angry.  They  did  not  wish 
for  what  did  not  belong  to  them.  If 
they  had  seen  any  other  beings,  hap 
pier  or  greater  than  they  were,  they 
would  not  have  envied  them.  They 
nad  none  of  those  cross,  wicked 
tempers,  that  make  people  unhappy. 
They  loved  God.      They  loved  one 


THE  BIBLE.  33 

aether.  They  loved  the  holy  angels, 
and  they  did  not  hate  an}'  body.  Yes, 
indeed,  they  were  very  happy-  The 
way  to  be  happy,  is  to  have  pleasant, 
kind  feelings,  and  to  love  God,  and 
obey  him. 

There  was  something  else  that 
made  Adam  and  Eve  happy.  Per- 
haps you  have  not  thought  of  it.  Try 
to  think  what  it  could  be.  You  know 
you  do  not  like  to  be  alone  all  the 
time.  You  wish  to  see  your  friends, 
and  to  be  near  them,  and  talk  to 
them.  Adam  and  Eve  liked  company 
too ;  and  I  suppose  they  found  it  very 
pleasant  to  converse  together.  There 
were  many  things  which  they  could 
talk  about ;  for  though  they  had  lived 
but  a  little  while,  they  had  learned  a 
great  deal  of  God,  and  his  works. 
But  this  was  not  all.  I  suppose  the 
angels  used  to  come  to  Paradise.  ** 


34  SKETCHES  FROM 

visit  Adam  and  Eve,  and  to  converse 
with  them  about  God  and  heaven 
Adam  and  Eve  were  glad  to  talk  w.th 
the  angels,  and  to  be  taught  by  them , 
because  the  angels  were  very  good, 
and  they  knew  more  than  a  man  and 
woman  could  be  expected  to  know. 

This  was  not  all  the  society  that 
Adam  and  Eve  had.  For  the  great 
God  himself  used  to  converse  with 
them.  Were  not  Adam  and  Eve 
much  honoured,  in  having  the  com- 
pany of  the  glorious  God  ?  We  read 
in  one  place  in  the  Bible,  that  God 
spoke  to  Adam  and  Eve;  and  then 
in  another  place  in  the  Bible,  we  read 
that  God  spoke  to  them,  and  they  dia 
not  seem  to  be  surprised ;  so  I  sup- 
pose they  were  used  to  hear  God 
speak.  It  may  be,  that  the  time  when 
God  used  to  meet  them,  was  in  the 
evening,  when   Adam  and  Eve  had 


THE  BIBLE  35 

finished  their  pleasant  work  in  the 
garden,  and  eaten  their  supper  of 
fruits.  They  were  then  ready  to 
kneel  down  at  the  entrance  of  their 
arbour,  and  to  thank  God  for  his 
goodness,  and  to  ask  him  to  continue 
to  be  good  to  them.  Perhaps  God 
then  answered  them,  and  gave  them 
his  blessing.  And  they  could  lie  down 
and  sleep  very  sweetly,  thinking  that 
God  had  blessed  them. 

In  the  morning  they  would  thank 
God,  and  pray  to  him  again,  before 
they  began  their  work.  You  think  it 
strange,  perhaps,  that  Adam  and  Eve 
worked  in  Paradise.  But  God  had 
told  them,  that  they  must  be  indus- 
trious, and  take  good  care  of  the  gar- 
den of  Eden.  They  did  not  work 
hard  and  long,  so  as  to  become  very 
t/red.     This  was  not  necessary.    But 


36 


SKETCHES  FROM 


they  could  twine  the  grape  vines 
around  the  trees,  and  make  them 
grow  in  the  right  place.  And  they 
could  tie  up  the  rose  bushes  and  car- 
nations; and  they  could  gather  the 
ripe  fruit,  and  break  off  the  useless 
branches  from  the  trees.  All  the  plants 
that  they  cultivated,  would  put  them 
in  mind  of  the  power  and  skill  of  their 
Creator.  And  they  could  study  the 
plants,  and  learn  their  uses.  They 
could  learn  in  what  things  they  were 
like  each  other,  and  in  what  things 
they  were  different  from  each  other, 
and  divide  them  into  classes.  Adam 
and  Eve  liked  to  do  all  these  things 
much  better  than  to  be  idle.  They 
could  not  have  been  happy,  even  in 
Paradise,  if  they  had  had  nothing  to 
do.  Every  body  ought  to  be  busy 
about  something.   Even  little  children 


THE  BIBLE.  37 

should  be  industrious.  God  has  so 
made  us,  that  we  like  to  be  active ; 
and  if  we  are  not  doing  something 
useful,  we  shall  be  in  great  danger  of 
doing  what  is  wrong. 


38  SB  ETCHES  FROM 

CHAPTER  V. 

What  Adam  and  Eve  did. 

When  God  put  Adam  and  Eve  intc 
the  garden  of  Eden,  he  told  them  that 
they  might  eat  as  much  fruit  as  they 
liked,  from  all  the  trees  in  the  garden, 
except  from  one.  God  had  planted 
one  tree  in  the  middle  of  the  garden, 
which  was  called  the  tree  of  know- 
ledge. He  told  Adam  and  Eve,  that 
they  must  not  eat  any  fruit  from  this 
tree.  God  placed  this  tree  there,  to 
try  whether  Adam  and  Eve  would  be 
obedient.  You  know  that  they  had 
every  kind  of  fruit  which  they  wanted, 
without  taking  any  from  this  tree- 
So,  you  see,  that  if  they  disobeyed 
God,  and  ate  any  of  the  fruit  from  this 
tree,  they  would  become  very  wicked, 


THE  BIBLE.  39 

At  first,  Adam  and  Eve  thought  that 
they  would  never  disobey  God.  They 
did  not  wish  to  do  any  thing  which 
God  had  forbidden  them  to  do.  But 
afterwards  they  sinned  against  God, 
and  ate  some  of  the  fruit  from  th 
tree  of  knowledge.  I  will  tell  you 
how  they  came  to  do  this. 

You  know  the  Bible  tells  us  about 
many  bright  angels,  that  lived  with 
God,  in  heaven.  Well,  a  long  time 
ago,  before  God  made  this  world,  some 
of  these  angels  became  wicked,  and 
refused  to  love  God.  Instead  of  being 
kind,  and  affectionate,  and  obedient, 
as  they  were  before,  they  became 
proud,  and  angry,  and  wished  to  do 
all  the  evil  they  could.  After  they 
were  so  changed,  it  was  not  best  that 
they  should  stay  in  heaven.  They 
would  not  have  been  fit  company  for 
the  holy  angels.     They  would  have 


40  SKETCHES  FROM 

tried  tc  injure  them.  They  would 
have  tried  to  tempt  them  to  do  wrong. 
They  had  offended  God,  and  it  was 
necessary  that  they  should  be  punish- 
ed. So  God  cast  them  out  of  heaven 
into  hell.  I  do  not  know  how  many 
of  these  wicked  angels  there  were,  but 
I  am  afraid  there  were  a  great  many. 
The  chief  one  among  them  was  called 
Satan.  When  they  were  good,  he 
was  the  highest  angel  among  them, 
and  now  they  had  become  bad,  he  was 
their  leader  in  every  kind  of  mischief. 

Satan  knew  that  God  had  made 
this  beautiful  world.  And  fie  knew 
how  holy  and  happy  Adam  and  Eve 
were.  You  need  not  think  it  strange 
that  he  should  know  this,  for  both 
good  and  bad  spirits  have  many  ways 
of  knowing  things  that  we  do  not 
understand. 

Satan  was  very  angry  at  God  for 


THE  BIBLE.  41 

making  Adam  and  Eve.  He  hated 
God,  and  he  hated  and  envied  every 
body  who  was  happy.  And  he  de- 
termined that  he  would  try  to  make 
Adam  and  Eve  as  miserable  as  he 
was  himself.  Satan  knew  that  he 
could  not  hurt  Adam  and  Eve,  so  long 
is  they  continued  to  love  and  obey 
God.  He  knew  God  would  take  care 
of  them  if  they  were  good.  He  thought 
tie  would  try  to  persuade  Adam  and 
Eve  to  do  something  that  was  wrong, 
and  then  God  would  be  angry  with 
them,  and  they  would  be  very  un- 
happy. 

God  had  forbidden  Adam  and  Eve 
to  eat  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  and 
had  told  them  that  if  they  did  eat  of 
t  they  must  die.  Satan  knew  that  if 
he  could  persuade  them  to  eat  only 
once  of  the  fruit  of  this  tree,  that  it 
would  make  God  angry  with  them, 
d2 


42  SKETCHES  FROM 

and  tnat  God  would  punish  them  foi 
their  sins.  Satan  was  so  wicked  as 
to  wish  to  bring  all  this  trouble  upon 
Adam  and  Eve,  and  upon  their  chil- 
dren. 

This  evil  spirit  was  very  cunning 
in  all  that  he  did.  For  he  thought, 
that,  if  he  found  Adam  and  Eve  to- 
gether, he  could  not  so  easily  tempt 
them  to  do  wrong,  because  they  could 
then  advise  each  other.  He  waited 
till  he  saw  Eve  alone  near  the  forbid- 
den tree,  while  Adam  was  in  another 
part  of  the  garden.  He  then  made 
himself  look  just  like  a  serpent,  so 
that  Eve  might  not  know  that  he  was 
an  evil  spirit,  and  went  to  Eve  and 
asked  her  if  God  had  said  that  she 
must  not  eat  of  all  the  trees  in  the 
garden.  She  told  him  that  God  had 
said  they  might  eat  the  fruit  from  all 
the  trees  in  the  garden,  except  from 


THE  BIBLE.  43 

the  one  that  was  in  the  middle  of  the 
garden.  She  told  him  that  God  had 
said  they  must  not  eat  of  the  fruit  of 
this  tree,  and  that  if  they  did  they 
must  die.  Satan  was  so  wicked  as 
to  contradict  what  God  had  said.  He 
told  Eve  that  she  and  Adam  certainly 
would  not  die,  if  they  did  eat  of  the 
fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge.  This 
was  the  same  as  to  say,  that  God  had 
told  them  a  lie.  Eve  ought  not  to  have 
stayed  near  the  serpent  a  moment 
longer,  after  he  had  said  such  a  dread- 
ful thing  about  God.  But  Eve  now 
began  to  have  some  sinful  thoughts, 
and  she  waited  a  moment  to  hear 
what  the  serpent  was  going  to  say. 
And  Satan  told  her  that  God  knew 
that  if  they  ate  of  the  fruit  of  that 
tree,  they  would  have  so  much  wis- 
dom and  knowledge  that  they  would 
he  like  God.     Eve  began  to  believe 


44  SKETCHES  FROM 

what  he  told  her,  and  she  turnea 
around  to  look  at  the  tree.  She 
thought  it  had  never  looked  so  beau- 
tiful before.  It  was  covered  with  fruit, 
which  was  red  and  yellow,  and  quite 
ripe.  The  longer  she  looked  at  it,  the 
more  she  wished  to  taste  of  the  fruit. 
She  began  to  be  ambitious,  and  to 
wish  to  be  great,  and  to  know  every 
thing  like  God.  She  was  so  foolish 
as  to  think  that  she  should  be  wiser 
and  happier,  for  doing  what  God  had 
forbidden  her  to  do.  She  forgot  how 
much  fine  fruit  there  was  in  the  gar- 
den, that  God  was  willing  she  should 
eat.  She  forgot  how  good  God  had 
been  to  her,  and  how  ungrateful  it 
womd  be  to  disobey  him.  She  forgot 
that  he  had  threatened  to  punish  her 
if  she  ate  any  of  that  fruit.  She  for- 
got that  Adam  was  at  a  distance,  and 
that  she  had  not  talked  to  him  about 


THE  BIBLE.  45 

it.  She  forgot  every  thing  she  ought 
to  have  remembered.  She  ought  to 
have  gone  away  from  the  tree,  and 
thought  about  something  else.  But 
instead  of  doing  so,  she  kept  thinking 
and  thinking  about  it,  and  looking  at 
it,  till  at  last  she  took  some  of  the 
fruit  and  ate  it. 

As  soon  as  Eve  had  eaten  as  much 
is  she  wished  of  the  forbidden  fruit, 
she  took  some  of  it  in  her  hand,  and 
went  to  find  Adam.  When  she  saw 
him,  she  told  him  what  she  had  done, 
and  gave  him  the  fruit.  One  would 
tnink  that  Adam  would  have  been 
wiser  than  to  eat  any  of  it,  but  he 
acted  as  wickedly  as  Eve  did,  and 
ate  what  she  gave  him. 

Now  what  did  Adam  and  Eve  gain 
by  this  sinful  act  ?  They  expected  to 
know  a  great  deal  more,  after  they 
had   eaten   the   fruit  of  the  tree  of 


46  SKETCHES  FROM 

knowledge.  And  they  did  know  more. 
They  knew  what  it  was  to  be  guilty, 
and  unhappy.  They  knew  what  it 
was  to  have  God  angry  with  them. 
They  knew  what  it  was  to  be  afraid 
that  God  would  punish  them.  They 
knew  what  it  was  to  have  unkind, 
wicked  feelings.  But  what  good  did 
such  knowledge  as  this  do  them  ? 


THE  BIBLE.  47 

CHAPTER  VI. 

What  God  said  to  Adam  and  Eve. 

Soon  after  they  had  eaten  the  fruit, 
Jiey  began  to  be  very  sorry.  The 
sun  was  just  going  down  behind  the 
mountains  of  Paradise.  The  little 
birds  had  done  singing  and  had  gone 
to  their  nests.  The  beasts  had  lain 
down  to  sleep.  This  cool  pleasant 
hour  was  the  time  when  Adam  and 
Eve  used  to  thank  God  and  pray  to 
him.  Before  this,  they  had  always 
been  glad  to  have  it  come,  because 
jod  then  met  them,  and  talked  with 
them.  But  now  they  were  afraid  to 
meet  God.  They  soon  heard  the 
voice  of  God  in  the  garden,  and  they 
started,  and  looked  pale  because  thev 


48  SKETCHES  FROM 

were  afraid.  They  ran,  ana  tried  to 
hide  themselves  among  the  trees  of 
the  garden.  Ah!  Adam  and  Eve, 
how  changed  you  are.  Once  you 
were  so  happy  to  meet  God,  and  now 
you  are  trying  to  hide  from  him ! 

But  they  could  not  hide  from  God. 
He  sees  every  thing.  He  saw  them 
eat  the  forbidden  fruit.  When  they 
first  wished  to  eat  it,  he  saw  what 
was  in  their  hearts.  And  now  he  had 
come  to  judge  them.  The  Lord  God 
called  Adam,  and  said  unto  him, 
where  art  thou  ?  Adam  and  Eve  were 
obliged  to  come  out  of  their  hiding 
place ;  but  they  came  trembling,  be- 
cause they  were  afraid  and  ashamed 
God  asked  them  if  they  had  eaten  ol 
the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge 
God  knew  that  they  had  eaten  of  k  j 
out  he  asked  them,  because  he  wished 
to  make  them  confess  their  sin.  1  hey 


THE  BIBLE.  49 

could  not  deny  that  the)  had  diso 
beyea  God ;  yet  instead  of  owning  that 
they  were  guilty,  and  asking  forgive- 
ness of  God,  they  began  to  make 
excuses.  Adam  said  that  he  had 
eaten  the  fruit,  but  the  woman  was  to 
blame,  because  she  gave  it  to  him. 
Eve  said  that  the  serpent  deceived 
her,  and  persuaded  her  to  eat  it. 

Then  God  said  that  Satan  must  be 
punished,  for  tempting  Adam  and  Eve 
to  commit  sin.  God  said  that  one  of 
the  descendants  of  Adam  and  Eve, 
who  would  be  born  many  years  after- 
wards, and  live  on  the  earth,  would 
punish  Satan,  and  bruise  the  head  of 
Satan  under  his  feet.  Satan  thought 
when  he  tempted  Adam  and  Eve  to 
sin,  that  he  should  get  them,  and  all 
their  descendants  into  his  power.  He 
thought  that  God  would  give  them 
all  up  to   him,  and  that  when  they 


50  SKETCHES  FROM 

died,  their  souls  would  be  sent  to  live 
in  the  dark  world  where  he  was,  and 
be  as  miserable  as  himself. 

But  God  now  told  of  a  person  who 
would  disappoint  these  wicked  hopes 
of  Satan.  This  person  was  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  came  into  tjie  world 
a  long  time  afterwards,  ancT  *£&,  that 
people  who  have  sinned  against  God, 
may  be  pardoned,  if  they  are  sorry 
for  their  sins,  and  trust  in  him.  He 
gives  them  his  Holy  Spirit  to  change 
their  hearts,  and  to  make  them  good. 
He  takes  them  away  from  Satan,  so 
that  Satan  cannot  hurt  them,  and 
when  they  die,  they  go  to  live  with 
God  in  heaven.  God  told  Adam  and 
Eve  of  this  soon  after  they  had  sin- 
ned,  so  that  they  might  love  and  trust 
in  Christ,  if  they  chose.  I  hope  they 
did  so.  If  they  did,  their  souls  did 
not  go  to  Iwe  with  Satan  when  they 


THE  BIBLE.  51 

died.  They  went  to  live  with  God, 
and  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  holy  angels 
in  heaven. 

Then  God  spake  to  Adam  and 
Eve,  and  told  them  how  he  should 
punish  them  for  their  sin.  He  told 
them  that  the  finest  fruits  and  flowers 
would  no  longer  grow  out  of  the  earth 
of  themselves.  But  brambles,  and 
weeds,  and  things  that  were  not  good 

7  o  o 

to  eat,  would  grow  up  all  over  the 
earth.  He  said  they  must  not  have 
any  bread  to  eat,  except  what  they 
worked  hard  to  get.  Adam  must  dig 
up  the  ground,  and  plant  corn,  and 
pull  up  weeds.  He  would  have  to  toil 
so  much  that  he  would  be  very  tired 
every  day,  and  the  sweat  would  stand 
in  large  drops  all  over  his  face.  God 
told  them  that  they  would  be  often 
sick  and  have  much  trouble  and  care, 


52  SKETCHES  FROM 

and  that  after  some  years  they  would 
certainly  die  and  be  laid  in  the  grave, 
and  turn  to  dust.  God  then  made 
Adani  and  Eve  coats  out  of  the  skins 
of  beasts  that  had  been  killed. 

These  beasts  were  not  killed  for 
Adam  and  Eve  to  eat,  because  God 
had  not  given  them  permission  to  eat 
meat.  They  ate  nothing  but  vegeta- 
bles. I  suppose  that  Adam  and  Eve 
killed  these  animals,  and  burnt  their 
flesh  upon  an  altar,  which  was  called 
sacrificing  them  to  God.  God  taught 
Adam  and  Eve  to  sacrifice  animals 
to  him,  that  they  might  not  forget 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  coming  into 
the  world  to  die  for  sinners.  Adam 
and  Eve  taught  this  to  their  children 
and  all  the  people  in  the  world  who 
wished  to  please  God,  used  to  wor- 
ship him  in  this  way,  till  Jeeus  Christ 


THE  BIBLE.  53 

came  into  the  world.  Aftei  Jesus 
Christ  came  into  the  world,  it  was 
not  necessary  to  offer  sacrifices  any 
more. 


V* 


54  SKETCHES  FROM 

CHAPTER  VII. 

About  the  distress  of  Adam  and  Eve, 

Now  Adam  and  Eve  were  in  great 
distress.  For  God  told  them  that 
they  must  not  stay  in  Paradise  any 
longer.  This  made  them  very  sorry. 
They  could  not  bear  to  think  of  leav- 
ing this  delightful  spot  where  they 
had  been  so  happy.  But  they  knew 
that  they  ought  not  to  complain,  for 
they  had  deserved  a  much-  worse 
punishment.  When  God  sent  them 
from  Paradise,  they  went  away  very 
sorrowful,  and  often  looked  back. 
\h !  poor  Adam  and  Eve,  I  do  not 
wonder  you  look  back.  I  do  not 
wonder  the  tears  are  on  j  our  cheeks. 
You  will  never  find  such  a  pleasant 
home  again.      But  these  quiet  groves 


THE  BIBLE.  55 

and  fie.ds,  where  the  angels  walk,  ana 
where  God  comes,  are  too  good  foi 
people  that  have  been  wicked.  They 
went  out  of  the  garden  through  an 
opening  in  the  hills,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  garden.  Then  they  looked 
back  and  saw  some  bright  angels, 
standing  at  the  place  where  they  came 
out.  And  near  the  angels  there  was 
a  flaming  sword  in  the  air,  which 
waved  from  side  to  side,  and  looked 
very  terrible.  Then  Adam  and  Eve 
knew  that  they  could  never  go  back 
•again. 

I  do  not  know  what  Adam  and  Eve 
did  then.  But  I  believe  that  they 
were  sorry  for  their  disobedience  to 
God.  I  believe  that  they  trusted  in 
Jesus  Christ,  who  was  coming  to  save 
sinners.  I  think  that  they  mu^t  have 
knelt  down  upon  the  grass  and  con- 
fessed their  sin  and  that  they  thanked 


56  SKETCHES  FROM 

,4  -  - 

God  for  letting  them  live  longer,  and 
prayed  to  God  to  take, care  of  them. 
I  hope  that  they  then  tried  to  be  as 
patient  and  cheerful  as  they  could.  I 
hope  that  they  did  not  spend  their 
time  in  wishing  that  they  could  get 
back  to  Paradise  again.  This  would 
have  been  very  foolish,  for  it  would 
have  done  no  good.  It  would  have 
been  very  wicked  to  wish  to  do  what 
God  had  forbidden.  This  they  had 
already  learned.  They  had  no  time 
to  lose  in  ;complaining.  They  had  a 
great  deal  to  do  to  make  themselves 
comfortable.  The  weather  was  no 
longer  mild  and  pleasant,  as  it  was 
before  they  sinned ;  it  was  sometimes 
quite  cold,  and  then  again  it  would  be 
very  hot,  so  they  were  almost  scorch- 
ed by  the  sun.  Sometimes  there  would 
be  violent  storms  of  wind  and  rain, 
and  the  thunder  and  lightning  would 


THE  BIBLE.  57 

be  terrible  You  see  that  Adam 
would  have  to  provide  a  shelter  for 
himself,  which  it  would  be  very  diffi- 
cult to  do,  when  he  had  no  iron  tools 
to  work  with.  I  do  not  know  how 
lie  contrived  to  do  it.  And  he  was 
obliged  to  plant  corn,  that  Eve  might 
make  it  into  cakes,  for  they  had  no 
longer  the  fruits  of  Paradise  to  eat. 

The  animals  were  greatly  changed 
They  used  to  be  obedient  to  Adam, 
but  now  some  of  them  had  become 
great  enemies  to  him.  The  lion  and 
tiger,  and  many  other  beasts  began 
to  be  wild  and  cruel,  and  wished  to 
fear  in  pieces  all  the  poor  little  help- 
less animals  that  they  could  find.  If 
Adam  and  Eve  had  not  kept  out  of 
their  way,  they  would  have  torn  them 
in  pieces.  These  terrible  creatures 
now  began  to  hide  themselves  in  the 
bushes,  by  the  side  of  the  rivers,  and 


58  SKETC  HES  FROM 

when  a  harmless  deer  or  shee^  came 
to  drink,  they  would  seize  upon  him, 
and  kill  him  instantly.  Even  those 
animals  that  remained  gentle,  did  not 
like  Adam  and  Eve,  half  so  well  as 
they  did  before.  They  were  afraid 
of  them  now.  Many  of  the  most 
timid  of  the  beasts  and  birds,  fled 
away  into  the  forests,  and  were  not 
willing  to  come  near  Adam  and  Eve. 
Others  remained  to  have  Adam  and 
Eve  take  care  of  them,  because  they 
knew  that  they  could  not  very  well 
take  care  of  themselves. 

All  these  changes  show  how  mucfc 
God  is  displeased  with  sin.  Man} 
people  seem  to  think  that  it  is  a  very 
little  thing  to  disobey  God.  But  you 
learn  from  the  story  of  Adam  and 
Eve,  that  God  does  not  think  so.  And 
God  knows  much  better  than  we  do, 
how   much  evil  is   done  by  sinning 


THE  BIBLE.  59 

against  him.  If  it  was  a  trifling  thing 
to  commit  sin,  do  you  think  that 
God  would  have  threatened  Adam 
and  Eve,  with  such  an  awful  punish- 
ment for  disobedience,  as  death  to 
their  bodies,  and  everlasting  death  to 
their  souls  ?  And  when  God  wished  to 
deliver  them  and  their  descendants 
from  a  part  of  this  punishment,  would 
it  have  been  necessary  for  Jesus  Christ 
to  do  so  much,  and  to  suffer  so  much 
before  they  could  be  saved,  if  sin  wat 
a  trifling  thing  ?  If  it  was  a  little  thing 
to  sin  against  God,  would  God  have 
so  changed  every  thing  in  this  world, 
after  Adam  and  Eve  had  disobeyed 
him  ?  When  you  think  about  it,  I  am 
sure  that  you  will  say,  it  is  a  dreadful 
thing  to  sin  against  God.  I  hope  that 
you  will  remember  this  when  you  are 
tempted  to  tell  a  lie,  or  to  disobey 
your  parents,  or  to  neglect  prayer,  oi 


60  SKET  ;hes  from 

to  do  any  thing  that  God  has  fornid- 
den.  But  you  have  already  done  what 
was  wrong,  and  you  have  displeased 
God.  You  cannot  go  to  heaven, 
unless  God  forgives  you,  and  gives 
you  a  new  heart.  What  must  you 
do?  You  must  be  truly  sorry  that 
you  have  offended  so  good  a  God. 
You  must  go  into  your  chamber,  and 
kneel  down  and  confess  to  God,  that 
you  have  been  very  wicked,  and  ask 
him  to  pardon  you,  and  make  you 
good,  for  the  sake  of  his  Son.  And 
you  must  not  trust  in  any  thing,  or  any 
body  to  save  you,  except  in  Jesus 
Christ.  For  if  he  had  not  died  for 
sinners  you  could  not  have  been  for- 
given. 

Now,  do  not  go  away  from  you] 
chamber,  and  think  that  you  have 
done  enough,  and  forget  what  yon 
nave  been  saying.  Do  not  be  satisfied 


THE  BIBLE.  61 

till  you  Know  that  you  love  God,  and 
that  you  are  trying  all  the  while  to 
obey  him.  Then  God  will  love  you 
and  he  will  make  you  happy  in  this 
world ;  and  when  you  go  out  of  this 
wo.ld,  you  will  be  happy  with  God, 
and  with  all  good  people  in  hea»en. 


62 


CREATION. 

I   God  made  the  sky  so  bright  and  blue, 
God  made  the  grass  so  green ; 
God  made  the  flowers  that  smell  so  sweet, 
In  pretty  colours  seen. 

%  God  made  the  sun  that  shines  so  bright 
And  gladdens  all  I  see ; 
It  comes  to  give  us  heat  and  light — 
How  thankful  should  I  be ! 

3  God  made  the  little  bird  to  fly; 
How  sweetly  has  she  sung ! 
And  though  she  soars  so  very  high," 
She  wont  forget  her  young. 

i  God  made  the  cow  to  give  nice  milk, 
The  horse  for  us  to  use ; 
I'll  treat  them  kindly  for  his  sake, 
Nor  dare  his  gifts  abuse. 


63 


OBEDIENCE 

1  0  that  it  were  my  chief  delight, 

To  do  the  things  I  ought ! 
Then  let  me  try  with  all  my  might, 
To  mind  what  I  am  taught. 

2  When  I  am  bid,  I'll  freely  bring 

Whatever  I  have  got ; 
And  never  touch  a  pretty  thing, 
If  mother  tells  me  not. 

3  When  she  permits  me,  I  may  tell 

About  my  little  toys  ; 
But  if  she's  busy,  or  unwell, 
I  must  not  make  a  noise. 

4  And  when  I  learn  my  hymns  to  say 

And  work,  and  read  and  spell, 
I  will  not  think  about  my  play, 
But  try  and  do  it  well. 


64 


WHAT  IS  IT  FOR   A    CHILD    TO  KNOW  THE 
SCRIPTURES  ? 

"  Mother,"  said  Samuel, — as  he  walked  in 
the  garden  with  his  mother,  "  I  was  read- 
ing, yesterday,  what  St.  Paul  wrote  to  Timo- 
thy, in  his  second  epistle,  the  third  chapter 
and  fifteenth  verse ;  and  I  wish  to  ask  you 
to  explain  it  to  me : — Paul  says  to  Timothy, 
*'  From  a  child  thou  hast  known  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures." I  am  possessed  of  a  beautiful  Bible, 
which  my  dear  father  gave  me  as  a  present, 
last  Christmas  holidays,  bound  in  red  morocco, 
and  I  read  it  on  Sundays  and  at  other  times. 
Is  this  to  know  the  Scriptures,  mother  ?  Do 
I  know  the  Scriptures  as  J  ought,  and  as 
Timothy  did?" 

"  My  dear  child,"  replied  the  mother 
"  you  may  possess  a  Bible,  and  yet  not  know 
the  Holy  Scriptures. 

"  You  may  hear  them  read  by  others,  at 
home,  at  school,  or  at  a  place  of  worship,  and 
yet  not  know  them. 

"  You  may  read  them  yourself,  and  remem 
ber  many  verses,  many  histories,  many  truths 
and  many  chapters  and  yet  not  know  them 


65 

"  To  know  the  Scriptures  as  Timothy 
knew  them,  you  must  understand  the  im* 
portant  truths  they  contain  about  yourself  as 
a  lost  sinner,  unable  to  deliver  yourself  from 
sin,  and  guilt,  and  misery ;  and  about  Christ 
as  the  only  Saviour. 

"  To  know  the  Holy  Scriptures,  you  must 
believe  them,  and  love  them,  and  reverence 
them,  and  earnestly  seek  to  do  what  they  re- 
commend. 

"  But  this  you  can  only  do,  by  the  teach- 
ing and  grace  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  through 
the  strength  of  Christ ;  and,  young  as  you 
are,  you  must  pray  to  God  to  teach  you.  If 
you  will  read,  wheD  you  get  home,  the 
twenty-fifth  Psalm,  you  will  find  God  has 
promised  to  teach  and  guide  the  meek  and 
"numble.  You  must  always  fear  God ;  for  the 
fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom 
and  a  good  understanding  have  all  they  that 
keep  his  commandments.  This  is  to  know  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  as  Timothy  knew  them." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  mother/'  said 
Samuel,  "  I  shall  think  upon  what  you  havt 
told  me  and  I  hope  I  shall  be  like  Timothy.' 


66 


A  HYMN  FOR  SA.BBATH  MORNING 

I   I  love  the  Sabbath  morn  to  come, 
For  then  I  rise  and  quit  my  home ; 
Hasten  to  school  with  cheerful  air, 
To  meet  my  dearest  teachers  there. 

2  There  I'm  instructed  how  to  pray, 
That  God  would  bless  me  day  by  day 
Safely  protect  and  guide  me  still, 
And  help  me  to  obey  his  will. 

3  'Tis  there  I  sing  a  Saviour's  love, 
That  brought  him  from  his  throne  above 
Caused  him  to  suffer,  bleed  and  die, 
For  sinful  creatures,  such  as  I 

4  From  the  instructions  I  obtain, 
May  I  a  lasting  blessing  gain : 
In  early  life  seek  Jesus   face, 

And  gain  the  blessings  of  his  grace* 


67 


HYMN  FOR  A  CHILD. 

1    Lord,  teach  a  little  child  to  pray, 
Thy  grace  betimes  impart ; 
And  grant  thy  Holy  Spirit  may 
Renew  and  change  my  heart. 

i    Fesus  can  all  my  sins  forgive, 
And  wash  away  their  stain ; 
Ind  fit  my  soul  with  him  to  live. 
And  in  his  kingdom  reign. 

3    To  him  let  little  children  come, 
For  he  hath  said  they  may  ; 
His  bosom  then  shall  be  their  home. 
Their  tears  he'll  wipe  away, 

i    For  all  who  early  seek  his  face, 
Shall  surely  taste  his  love ; 
Fesus  shall  guide  them  by  his  grace, 
To  dwell  with  him  above. 


